Inside The Bills

Pro Bowl snubs are a popular topic this time of year and there are cases to be made for more than just a handful of players on Buffalo’s roster. But the opinion of an NFL player that plays the same position feeling a Bills player got robbed for Pro Bowl recognition carries a bit more weight.

Former Bills safety Donte Whitner felt that George Wilson was snubbed for AFC Pro Bowl honors at the strong safety position.

DonteWhitner I also wanna say that I feel for my brothers in Buffalo..I kno they have the heart and resolve to have a great season next yr..GW got robbed

Whitner, who routinely watches tape from around the league and not just that of his own team has an opinion that is far from unfounded. Leading the team in interceptions (4) and total takeaways (5) while also standing third on the team in tackles (94) Wilson has been a stalwart on the defensive side of the ball for the Bills.

The Bills did not have any players selected to represent the AFC in this year’s Pro Bowl, but two players on Buffalo’s roster were recognized by the film reviewers and stat junkies at Pro Football Focus on their Pro Bowl roster.

GuardsLG – Andy Levitre (BUF), RG – Marshal Yanda (BAL), and Brian Waters (NE)Don’t you just love a guy that gets a new contract and then ups his play? That’s exactly what Marshal Yanda did and none of us could be happier because we’ve been championing his cause now for four years. Levitre was playing brilliantly before he was called on to start at left tackle and then center. He held his own at those positions and that in itself deserves consideration. Waters was let go by KC when they determined his run-blocking no longer matched his superior pass pro skills but there’s nothing like a trip north east to sort that out. He’s still not the best run blocker around, but he’s good enough and he makes Tom Brady’s life in the pocket a much easier proposition.

SafetiesFS – Eric Weddle (SD), SS – Troy Polamalu (PIT), and Jarius Byrd (BUF)Weddle was unanimous as he made those who questioned his contract eat their words. Polamalu is a frustrating player, because you have no idea what he’ll do; randomly take off to undercut something leaving his guy open for a big gain one play, then make a one handed diving interception the next. We’ve all seen the best, and worst, of him this year – many of us in the same game. In the end though he was a better choice than anyone else.

Byrd’s a little bit like Ngata in that, now all the hype is dying down, he’s turning into a better player than he was when he was making tons of interceptions on badly overthrown passes and little else.

Fred Jackson was also mentioned in their Pro Bowl listings, saying that he would’ve been the starter at halfback were it not for his season-ending leg injury.

We’re in the home stretch for fan ballots to be cast for the Pro Bowl and three Bills are still among the leaders at their respective positions.

Ryan Fitzpatrick ranks third among AFC quarterbacks with almost 343 thousand votes, trailing only Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady.

George Wilson is second among strong safeties in the AFC with close to 120 thousand votes behind just Troy Polamalu.

And Nick Barnett is third among AFC inside linebackers, but Houston’s Brian Cushing is hot on his heels in fan voting, so be sure to get your votes in. Fans can cast as many ballots as they like right at Buffalobills.com.

As a side note, Fred Jackson, who was among the top 10 vote getters as of three weeks ago, had a vote total that would still place him among the top 5 at the RB position for the AFC even though he’s been removed from the ballot since going on I-R.

The stat crunchers and film reviewers at Pro Football Focus have put together their cheat sheet for who is the most likely to go to the Pro Bowl this year for the AFC and NFC, and two Bills players are firmly in the running at their positions.

Levitre may not still be at the top of our guard rankings but I’m calling foul. Up until last week, when he returned to his normal position, he’d started three games at tackle and another at center. I’m not saying he was great at either but he was better than a lot of the usual starting players across the league in those positions. Join me in ensuring he at least gets his reward of a Pro Bowl berth.

It looks like Buffalo’s success is getting some of their players some traction for Pro Bowl consideration. George Wilson is the latest example.

CBSSports.com’s Pete Prisco, who was at the Bills-Redskins game in Toronto last week, was all the more impressed with Buffalo’s strong safety after seeing him in person. Here’s what he wrote about Wilson.

I have been praising Bills safety George Wilson all season. He always shows up. Watching him live against the Redskins, I appreciate him even more. He is a good football player. He has a nose for the ball. A former receiver, he also tackles better than you would think for a guy who made a position move. If Wilson isn’t in the Pro Bowl this year, it might be a crime.

Bills head coach Chan Gailey thought there might have been some deserving candidates on his roster for Pro Bowl recognition, but he believes being on a successful team play a big role.

“There are a couple of guys that have played maybe well enough to have made it, but in general you have to win more games,” Gailey said. “That’s the bottom line, and you have to get on the Sunday night or Monday night or Thursday, something that gives you a little more national exposure. Those are the kind of things that help you make that.”

With Stevie Johnson and Kyle Williams not getting Pro Bowl recognition this year despite outstanding seasons, they can only hope that they’re selected to be injury replacements.

Johnson might have a better chance. Houston’s Andre Johnson, who was selected, has battled injuries all season and may choose to skip participating in the Pro Bowl. That could open the door for Buffalo’s top wideout, who is likely an alternate.

For Williams it could prove more difficult, although Haloti Ngata and Vince Wilfork are both playing for playoff bound teams and will still have games to play.

The Bills and three other NFL clubs were not represented with a Pro Bowl player, Cincinnati, Seattle and Tampa Bay.

Kyle Williams’ lights out game against Pittsburgh last Sunday has vaulted him back into the number two spot for ProFootballFocus Defensive Player of the Year.

Reviewers of game tape, ProFootballFocus gave Kyle Williams the highest grade ever for a defensive tackle following his 10 tackle, 2 sack, 3 tackle for loss, 3 quarterback hit performance in the overtime loss to the Steelers. He also drew four holding penalties in the game from Chris Kemoeatu. Williams trails only Philadelphia DE Trent Cole in their race for Defensive Player of the Year.

Williams is expected to get a nod for the Pro Bowl as an AFC DT later this month. Be sure to vote for Williams when you get a chance.

Bills DT Kyle Williams is getting some Pro Bowl recognition from the guys over at ProFootballFocus.com.

The game tape and stat crunching site lists Williams as one of their three candidates to represent the AFC at DT. Here’s their write up.

Defensive Tackles

Jason Jones (Ten)*, Haloti Ngata (Bal)* & Kyle Williams (Buf)

Jones has always had the ability to get to the quarterback but now he’s playing the run as well as anyone. Ngata has suffered from overhype because he has the ability to do things others can’t. Now he’s really performing (although he has spent no an inconsiderable amount of time at DE). How Williams can play as well as he does with the wreckage around him in Buffalo is a question for the ages.

While it’s disappointing that the site has to take a pot shot at the rest of the defense to prop up Kyle, the listing is still well deserved. So be sure to vote for Kyle. The only other Bills player to get consideration was FB Corey McIntyre as an honorable mention.

Even though a total of 14 more players, including seven for the AFC are being added to the Pro Bowl rosters, to replace the Colts and Saints players that are exempt because they’ll be playing in the Super Bowl, Aaron Schobel is still not going as a defensive end.

Both of Indianapolis’ defensive ends, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney made the Pro Bowl, but cannot participate since they’ll be playing in the Super Bowl the following week. Aaron Schobel, however, was apparently not voted as an alternate as going in place of the two Colts’ pass rushers are the Jets Shaun Ellis and Tennessee’s Kyle Vanden Bosch.

What hurt Schobel’s chances was the fact that he had his three sack game against the Falcons in Week 16 that got him to 10 for the season, happened after the voting by coaches and players had already been completed. Kyle Williams was a third alternate for the AFC, but there were no defensive tackles that had to be replaced. The situation was the same for Brian Moorman a first alternate as there was no need to replace Oakland punter Shane Lechler.

Here’s the list of alternate Pro Bowl players filling in for Super Bowl participants. Congratulations to former Bills LB London Fletcher, who will be appearing in his first Pro Bowl.

He name did not appear earlier this season, but now on NFL.com, Bills FS Jairus Byrd is on the Pro Bowl ballot.

So Bills fans make sure to vote for the rookie who is leading the league in interceptions by submitting your Pro Bowl fan ballot.

Byrd wasn’t on the ballot at the start of the season because he wasn’t a starter. He’s recently been added to the online ballot. Time is running out as players and coaches will be voting for the Pro Bowl next week. So get your ballots in as we all know that rookies and players on teams that do not have a winning record have a harder time getting to the NFL’s all-star game.

Bills RB Marshawn Lynch, who was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster Thursday to replace Titans RB Chris Johnson, had mentioned to Buffalo’s equipment staff that if he somehow made it out to Hawaii this year for the Pro Bowl, that he wanted them to pack his white standing buffalo helmet.

For those that don’t know the white helmet with the standing buffalo is part of the team’s throwback uniform ensemble, and there are some players in Buffalo’s locker room that like the retro look.

One of them obviously is Lynch, but I’ve confirmed with the Bills equipment staff that they had to send the regular red Bills helmet in Lynch’s uniform bag. It’s unlikely the league would have allowed Lynch to wear the throwback helmet, since it is not part of the team’s standard uniform.

Tennessee running back Chris Johnson was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster after a breakout campaign as a rookie this season, but he suffered a high ankle sprain in the Divisional playoff game against Pittsburgh on Jan. 12.

A day after the Titans loss to the Steelers, Johnson was wearing a walking boot and head coach Jeff Fisher expressed some uncertainty as to whether Johnson would be able to play in the Pro Bowl.

“He has components of a high ankle sprain,” Fisher said. “He’ll remain in the boot. I can’t say whether or not he’ll be back for the Pro Bowl.”

A league source confirms that Johnson has been rehabbing the injury at the Titans complex with the hope of playing in the game. But a decision will have to be made one way or the other this week.

If Johnson cannot go and has to pull out of the Pro Bowl. There’s a good chance Marshawn Lynch would be the replacement. Lynch was confirmed as a Pro Bowl alternate, but the league doesn’t provide a list of Pro Bowl alternates so it’s hard to say if anyone is ahead of him in line at the running back position.

Lynch finished 5th in the AFC in rushing (1,036). The only possible alternate ahead of Lynch is Houston’s Steve Slaton, who finished 2nd in the AFC in rushing with almost 1,300 yards.